(PatriotWise.com) — On Friday, the White House announced that President Biden has nominated the first female to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CBS News reported.
The president nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti as the next Chief of Naval Operations. If confirmed by the Senate, Franchetti would become the first woman to serve as a Pentagon service chief.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had initially recommended that the president nominate Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet as the Navy chief. However, Biden opted to pursue his diversity and equity agenda by selecting a woman.
In a statement on Friday announcing four military nominations, Biden highlighted the historical significance of choosing a woman for the Joint Chiefs, noting that Franchetti was the second woman to achieve the rank of 4-star admiral and will “make history” again as the first female on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Biden said that in her 38 years of service, Franchetti “demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas.”
The president also announced that he has nominated Austin’s preferred candidate, Adm. Paparo, to serve as the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Fleet.
One senior administration official told CBS News that the president’s choice of Adm. Franchetti was based on her broad experience both at sea and ashore, including the multiple administrative and policy positions that have given her a deep understanding of budgeting and running the department.
At the same time, the official conceded that Biden’s decision was influenced by the historical nature of nominating a woman.
In his statement, President Biden also blasted Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville for blocking unanimous consent votes on military nominations, calling the senator’s actions “dangerous” and a threat to military readiness.
Tuberville has been preventing the Senate from confirming service nominations through unanimous consent over the Pentagon’s policy to fund out-of-state travel for female service members seeking an abortion.
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